how to write earth-changing emails
TRANSCRIPT
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How to Write Earth-Changing
Emails Alison CarlmanGlobalGiving Unmarketing Manager
GlobalGiving Fundraising Academy Session 6
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What this presentation is not:
Dear Donor,
This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words.
This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words.
This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words. This email has 500 words.
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Listen. Act. Learn. Repeat.
Testing and experimenting are at the core of our strategy for creating
compelling content.
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Back to school:Behavioral Economics
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Listen. Act. Learn. Repeat.
• Listen by asking for feedback. • Listen by hearing unsolicited
feedback.• Listen to data. • Listen to peers and experts.
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Listening by asking for feedback
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Listening by hearing unsolicited feedback
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Listening by hearing unsolicited feedback
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Listening through data: the evolution of our e-newsletter
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How do we know what “works”? We look at these metrics:
QUESTION METRIC TOOL
How good is the subject line?
Open rates MailChimp
Does the email content make people want to do more?
Click rates MailChimp
Does the email (and project page) make people want to give?
Conversion (donation) rates
MailChimp
How compelling is the call-to-action?
Donation amounts
MailChimp
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Email lesson 1: Nobody Reads Anymore.
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Email lesson 2: Make it YOU (donor)-focused.
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Email lesson 3: Keep it short. Use big, compelling images.
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Email lesson 4: Great images - one person making eye-contact.
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Email lesson 5: Make it clever. Unexpected.
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Lesson 6: Did we mention pictures? (make it look good on mobile!)
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Lesson 6: Use a CLEAR call-to-action. (An embarrassingly large ‘give’
button).
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Lesson 7: Personalize!
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How did we know what “worked”? We looked at these metrics:
QUESTION METRIC TOOL
How good is the subject line?
Open rates MailChimp
Does the email content make people want to do more?
Click rates Bit.ly
Does the email (and project page) make people want to give?
Conversion (donation) rates
GG Donation Manager & Spreadsheet
How compelling is the call-to-action?
Donation amounts
GG Donation Manager & Spreadsheet
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Tool: GlobalGiving Donation Manager (Donation
Rates and Amounts)
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Tool: Homemade spreadsheet
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Tool:Bit.ly Link Tracker (Click Rates)
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Tool:MailChimp (All metrics –
example: Click Rates and Links )
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Listening through data: A/B testing
(an example of an experiment!)
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We A/B tested two Girl Effect emails, one story, one video:
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How did it do?
Metric Story Version
Video Version
Open rate 17.5% 17.9%
Click rate 1.34% 2.58%
Conversion (donation) rate .06% .11%
Conversion (donation) amount $3,284 $9,478
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…then we tested assumptions!
We thought the data showed us that good videos performed better in email than good stories.
So: we ran one more experiment…
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…then we tested our assumptions!
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…and some of our assumptions were wrong.
Girl Effect Story
Girl Effect Video
Video Contest
Open Rate 17.5% 17.9% 17.9%
Click Rate 1.34% 2.58% 2.8%
Conversion Rate
.06% .11% .04%
Donation Value $3,284 $9,478 $3,254
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…and our assumptions were wrong.
Moral of the story: when running experiments….• Stick to one variable at a time• Once you think you have come to a
conclusion, test that conclusion!• Keep testing! Keep improving!
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Listening to peers and experts
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Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to
research
• Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object).
• Tell a compelling story about that ONE person• Donors will give if they feel it will bring them
close to their social network.• Not all donors are the same.
… but don’t just take their word for it. Test for yourself.
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Listen. Act. Learn. Repeat.
• Listen by asking for feedback. • Listen by hearing unsolicited
feedback.• Listen to data. • Listen to peers and experts.
(Then act… learn… and repeat!)